It’s the other way around for me - I can read novels electronically but I really prefer non-fiction on paper where I can scribble notes, underline, dog-ear pages, stick strips of paper to mark important concepts I need to come back…
It's a much better experience with a tablet. I can't read books or papers on my phone either, it's too small. But I have a IPad mini with the Amazon Kindle app installed and it's great. The text is clear, and it automatically saves your reading spot when you stop. It can also juggle books quite easily, as occasionally I'll find myself reading two or more books at the same time. It also allows you to share highlighted quotes with others reading the same book. It's pretty cool. On top of that, it's a tablet with all the apps and benefits of one. Because I commute back and forth to seattle, it's a convenient tool for me while sitting on the ferry.
I can certainly understand the convenience, particularly on the ferry. The ability to be free of actually carrying books around was one of the things that first drew me to the Nook.
I re-read Glenn's comment, and I didn't see it, but I think you can also enlarge the text.
If so, that'd be another great advantage over the paper book, where you're stuck with the typeface size.
And if you're reading a book with text the size of the text in a Gideon's Bible, you might be in trouble unless you have a magnifying glass or glasses that strongly magnify.
This is something I struggle with. I greatly prefer ink and paper. As a result of a few health issues, the paper of many modern books printed in the last 20 years or so sets of an autoimmune reaction. This says something significant about the prevalence of chemicals in daily goods. So, I have tried to read on a kindle to no avail—it does not stick in my mind, I do not relax into, I do not enjoy it. I read only old books, and only the oldest versions on Abe Books. Both my body and my mind have spoken and I've listened. Great post, Cameron.
Sorry to read about the reaction that you have to modern paper. You're right, that really says something about the amount of chemicals used in production today. I imagine too, mass market books probably utilize the very cheapest paper available, which is probably also the worst.
I think though, nothing at all bad about reading old books! I often find things that others enjoyed long ago on my treks to the used bookstore.
When I was in high school, I really struggled with Literature, reading, things like that. I aced Grammar and that aspect of reading, but long books? I couldn’t handle it. So my senior year of high school, I decided to try out the “Book on tape” idea, and checked out Charles Dickens’s “Tale of Two Cities” on tape. It was about a half-dozen cassettes in a pack. I listened to it throughout the month of December of 1991 while I was carving and creating duck decoys for a duck hunter. Took notes along the way, so I did have a pencil and paper along with the carving tools. When the book report was due in early January of 1992, I aced it. The best grade I ever got for a book report, period. I digested and understood the material much better by listening to it while doing another basic activity that didn’t occupy my mind too much. Since then, I tried both methods when checking out fiction in the local Library, and in a couple of cases, tried both methods with the same book. (One of those I tried both ways was The Da Vinci Code.) While I got better at handling the traditional book reading, the Audiobook method also improved, and got even better than the book reading method than it did before. Now that I commute a 2-hour round trip, it’s all audio book or podcast, and the only paper books I read now are manuals for engines, vehicles, etc., which as I type this, means I generally only use paper books for reference, not reading through like a story.
I don’t know if this is a good or a bad thing, but I can still enjoy stories and gain knowledge, so I’m thinking there’s at least some good with this.
I can read stuff online but it's just easier paperback for me as well. I find that reading it on my phone and such only works when on a plane or in the bath but outside those places paperback or nothing.
A plane eh? That's even worse for me than just about anywhere else! On a plane I definitely need a paperback, something really fast moving, and not complex in plot. A good old fight and adventure against an evil someone or something. Anything else I'm way too distracted!
Stone Bryson shared your post, and before I read it I responded that right out of the gate, I know I prefer real books, because of my terrible eyesight. Light from computers hurts my eyes after long periods of time. Sometimes I like to read for hours.
That’s what I wrote, and after reading your article I want to agree with you. It comes to articles, I have no problem reading then on the internet, but not books. I just require the tactical feel of a book in my hands. I think it’s gonna be fun and good night, I like to immerse myself in it and sometimes read it from beginning to end. Lol.
While I value the feel of a book in my hand, the convenience ultimately won out for me. It's not just having my entire library on one device (although the minimalist in me DOES love that), but also reading while laying down before bed; physical books are challenging (and, at times, hard on my eyes if the lighting is not right), while the ease of one-hand-holding and the front-lighting of my Kindle works perfectly.
Still... there ARE a few books I own in hardcopy. Some tomes - for me at least - NEED to be in the 'original format,' for the sake of continuity :-)
Reading in bed without needing a light is certainly a huge advantage. I'm just lucky in that Mrs. Bailey doesn't have any trouble falling asleep while my light is on. I love the convenience too. But even with those two benefits, I just can't make it work.
I cannot read books online. I like to pick up and put down, write and underline and feel and smell the paper, hear the sound of pages turn. To me reading is a 4 senses experience (I have not tried eating a book as of today).
Same here. My Nook was a christmas present when they came out. I think I may have read 10 books on it, then put it away. I love paper! .. that was the lesson there.. I noticed that I didn't retain much of what I read and my eyes and brain got tired much sooner. The blue light ...
I've still got my OG Nook in a dresser drawer. The thing is just a beautiful piece of tech, so I'm loathe to get rid of it. But, I haven't picked it up in many years.
Yeah .. I've done that.. attachments ..stuff accumulates, I keep moving it around.. lol
I'm trying to de- clutter... My friend says: if you haven't touched it for a whole year, give it away. Not easy, especially if it still works or has sentimental value. Then I have given stuff away and a week later I needed it! Hahaha
I went through two moves in the last 15 or so years where I was able to get rid of lots of stuff that I didn't use or need anymore.
But, then we moved into the family home, so now we not only have all of our excess stuff, but the stuff that built up here over three generations. When our daughters inherit the place they are going to have a lot of stuff to go through!
Funny how we are all the same on certain levels.. when I cleaned out mom's house, we filled two container with stuff. We all seem to have a hard time letting go of the past and "stuff" seems to make us feel safe ..
It’s the other way around for me - I can read novels electronically but I really prefer non-fiction on paper where I can scribble notes, underline, dog-ear pages, stick strips of paper to mark important concepts I need to come back…
That's really interesting that we are the opposite! I guess it just goes to show how really unique we all are. Thanks for letting me know!
This gentleman is also in my direction, including the reason why he would prefer paper for certain situations.
It's a much better experience with a tablet. I can't read books or papers on my phone either, it's too small. But I have a IPad mini with the Amazon Kindle app installed and it's great. The text is clear, and it automatically saves your reading spot when you stop. It can also juggle books quite easily, as occasionally I'll find myself reading two or more books at the same time. It also allows you to share highlighted quotes with others reading the same book. It's pretty cool. On top of that, it's a tablet with all the apps and benefits of one. Because I commute back and forth to seattle, it's a convenient tool for me while sitting on the ferry.
I can certainly understand the convenience, particularly on the ferry. The ability to be free of actually carrying books around was one of the things that first drew me to the Nook.
I re-read Glenn's comment, and I didn't see it, but I think you can also enlarge the text.
If so, that'd be another great advantage over the paper book, where you're stuck with the typeface size.
And if you're reading a book with text the size of the text in a Gideon's Bible, you might be in trouble unless you have a magnifying glass or glasses that strongly magnify.
True. On both my Nook and my Phone I can adjust the size of the text.
I also do it on the computers I use. I will admit at work I blow up the text to 150%.
Oh, yeah, me too on the laptop.
I have the same experience. I can read a novel on my phone, but I much prefer paper.
Between this and our shared love of squirrels, it seems that we have much in common!
This is something I struggle with. I greatly prefer ink and paper. As a result of a few health issues, the paper of many modern books printed in the last 20 years or so sets of an autoimmune reaction. This says something significant about the prevalence of chemicals in daily goods. So, I have tried to read on a kindle to no avail—it does not stick in my mind, I do not relax into, I do not enjoy it. I read only old books, and only the oldest versions on Abe Books. Both my body and my mind have spoken and I've listened. Great post, Cameron.
Sorry to read about the reaction that you have to modern paper. You're right, that really says something about the amount of chemicals used in production today. I imagine too, mass market books probably utilize the very cheapest paper available, which is probably also the worst.
I think though, nothing at all bad about reading old books! I often find things that others enjoyed long ago on my treks to the used bookstore.
With me, it’s the audio books I prefer.
When I was in high school, I really struggled with Literature, reading, things like that. I aced Grammar and that aspect of reading, but long books? I couldn’t handle it. So my senior year of high school, I decided to try out the “Book on tape” idea, and checked out Charles Dickens’s “Tale of Two Cities” on tape. It was about a half-dozen cassettes in a pack. I listened to it throughout the month of December of 1991 while I was carving and creating duck decoys for a duck hunter. Took notes along the way, so I did have a pencil and paper along with the carving tools. When the book report was due in early January of 1992, I aced it. The best grade I ever got for a book report, period. I digested and understood the material much better by listening to it while doing another basic activity that didn’t occupy my mind too much. Since then, I tried both methods when checking out fiction in the local Library, and in a couple of cases, tried both methods with the same book. (One of those I tried both ways was The Da Vinci Code.) While I got better at handling the traditional book reading, the Audiobook method also improved, and got even better than the book reading method than it did before. Now that I commute a 2-hour round trip, it’s all audio book or podcast, and the only paper books I read now are manuals for engines, vehicles, etc., which as I type this, means I generally only use paper books for reference, not reading through like a story.
I don’t know if this is a good or a bad thing, but I can still enjoy stories and gain knowledge, so I’m thinking there’s at least some good with this.
Better than Binge-watching sit-coms!
Bailey say: The only appropriate binge watching at the moment is 1923!
I can read stuff online but it's just easier paperback for me as well. I find that reading it on my phone and such only works when on a plane or in the bath but outside those places paperback or nothing.
A plane eh? That's even worse for me than just about anywhere else! On a plane I definitely need a paperback, something really fast moving, and not complex in plot. A good old fight and adventure against an evil someone or something. Anything else I'm way too distracted!
I get that
I share your quirk completely. Cannot get lost in an e-book, no matter how hard I try.
I'm glad that I wrote this, now I know that I'm not the only one who can't get into Ebooks!
Stone Bryson shared your post, and before I read it I responded that right out of the gate, I know I prefer real books, because of my terrible eyesight. Light from computers hurts my eyes after long periods of time. Sometimes I like to read for hours.
That’s what I wrote, and after reading your article I want to agree with you. It comes to articles, I have no problem reading then on the internet, but not books. I just require the tactical feel of a book in my hands. I think it’s gonna be fun and good night, I like to immerse myself in it and sometimes read it from beginning to end. Lol.
I too can get through one awfully fast, when I truly get into the flow!
Great observations, Cameron!
While I value the feel of a book in my hand, the convenience ultimately won out for me. It's not just having my entire library on one device (although the minimalist in me DOES love that), but also reading while laying down before bed; physical books are challenging (and, at times, hard on my eyes if the lighting is not right), while the ease of one-hand-holding and the front-lighting of my Kindle works perfectly.
Still... there ARE a few books I own in hardcopy. Some tomes - for me at least - NEED to be in the 'original format,' for the sake of continuity :-)
Reading in bed without needing a light is certainly a huge advantage. I'm just lucky in that Mrs. Bailey doesn't have any trouble falling asleep while my light is on. I love the convenience too. But even with those two benefits, I just can't make it work.
I cannot read books online. I like to pick up and put down, write and underline and feel and smell the paper, hear the sound of pages turn. To me reading is a 4 senses experience (I have not tried eating a book as of today).
I think that might well be it, the tactile experience, and the ability to interact with the form.
Same here. My Nook was a christmas present when they came out. I think I may have read 10 books on it, then put it away. I love paper! .. that was the lesson there.. I noticed that I didn't retain much of what I read and my eyes and brain got tired much sooner. The blue light ...
I've still got my OG Nook in a dresser drawer. The thing is just a beautiful piece of tech, so I'm loathe to get rid of it. But, I haven't picked it up in many years.
Yeah .. I've done that.. attachments ..stuff accumulates, I keep moving it around.. lol
I'm trying to de- clutter... My friend says: if you haven't touched it for a whole year, give it away. Not easy, especially if it still works or has sentimental value. Then I have given stuff away and a week later I needed it! Hahaha
I went through two moves in the last 15 or so years where I was able to get rid of lots of stuff that I didn't use or need anymore.
But, then we moved into the family home, so now we not only have all of our excess stuff, but the stuff that built up here over three generations. When our daughters inherit the place they are going to have a lot of stuff to go through!
I moved twice in the last 10 years or so.. new stuff just seems to appear .. those drawers are full .. again.. hahahaha
Oh wow! Do they know? :)
Oh, they know. Half the stuff in the basement is their childhood stuff that they refuse to get rid of, and refuse to take to their own homes!
I see!! A'la "thanks mom and dad"?!! LOL
That means they had a good childhood I think :)
Funny how we are all the same on certain levels.. when I cleaned out mom's house, we filled two container with stuff. We all seem to have a hard time letting go of the past and "stuff" seems to make us feel safe ..
At least you can say: I didn't do it! :)